Irregular TSH question Lab error?

[Shedding01]

I was on levoxyl 25 mcg doing well for almost 9 months until I became inconsistent and later felt while trying to go back on the drug that it caused my insomnia.  (symptomatic with subclinical hypothyroidism TSH 4.45, t4 1.20)

I did do back on too high of a dose of levoxyl 50 and could not balance back on 25 which later led to the insomnia when I gave my body a break and tried the 25 levoxyl again.

I was on the drug long enough for the chunks of hair to stop falling out and the dry skin to go away amongst other things too embarrassing to mention.  Tsh of 2.8 and t4 still low 1.11

I had to stop the drug and was off everything for 61 days but still had insomnia.

I didn’t take anything for 61 days and still had the insomnia and tried synthroid 25 for 18 days but it was too strong for me.

I did a blood test 15 days after getting off of synthroid and had a tsh of 3.2 and t4 of 1.11.

6 weeks later I finally gave in with no health insurance and went to an endocrinologist.  I was half asleep and was not able to ask her to test for anything else and I’m still in pursuit of her responding to me to come back in to have additional blood testing to see what the root cause of all this is.  She took control of the visit basically and re-confirm what I already knew that I had subclinical hypothyroidism and was symptomatic.

She told me to stay off the medication and I had a TSH 3.9 and a T4 even lower at a 1.0.  She just reschedule me to do the same test and I feel upset and tired that I have to still wait for my 30th of October for her to actually respond to any my questions and I’m just getting more frustrated.  I was rushed and she just walked out of the appointment which was my first appointment which she seemed more concerned with being on time to leave at the end of the day.

Didn’t even say nice to meet you, and I was just giving a follow up for three months later for the same blood test to white reconfirm that I’m subclinical hyperthyroidism, and I probably have to drive back and be confrontational which I don’t want to be but after the money that was spent I do want some damn answers, could’ve gotten the same answers from my regular primary.  

Trying to be patient with her nurses and keep asking if there’s an answer and they keep saying that they will check with her, I’m really having a lot of bad luck with this crap and with life in general and I’m sorry for this I side track.

I’m about to just test the medication I have on hand myself to see if it worsens my insomnia.

I was also working with the Free clinic who a week after I got blood work with the takes her time endocrinologist or ignores you, said I had a TSH of 2.1 and a T4 1.10.  

Even before I had issues my thyroid I haven’t had a TSH that low , a 2.1 in over 10 years.   This had to be a clerical error there is no way you can go from 3.9 to a 2.1 TSH in a week while taking no thyroid medication?

And all my past blood work that I have provided to this clinic shows my T4 being at a 1.11 and my TSH at a 4.45 while not on medication.

This Clinic is helping me with my insomnia trying to find a reason why I have it by prescribing meds which I need help with but primarily they were helping me with my thyroid related issues, which because of their lab error which I do believe it’s a lab error  they believe I am healthy and have discharged me now.  

I called them and told them that I can no longer go to this endocrinologist which is truthful because she is not responding to me and I’m just trying to come in for a nurses visit to do additional bloodwork which is not terribly expensive fortunately if I even can do it, and left them a message to redo the TSH which I was told it was basically up to the nurse practitioner to make that decision and it makes me question her knowledge on thyroid related issues.  

I told them that I was a 3.9 just a week prior to this test but could no longer use that facility for help so there’s no way I can be at a 2.1 in a week without meds while I’m still experiencing all these horrible symptoms.

I feel like I was brushed off and told that it was up to a nurse practitioner to call me make decisions.

I can pay and redo the test from a lab order from my primary care but at this point I don’t know what to do.  I don’t know if you would get me reinstated or just be a waste of my money after spending so much money.

I am back to where I was before I even knew I had a thyroid issue, where my hair was shedding and dry and I basically spent a lot of money on protein products and moisturizing products while my hair was shedding and getting shorter and shorter for over year.  Before being put on 25 mcg of levoxyl which caused my hair to grow back thicker and stop falling out after three months.

I feel like I’m going backwards, just did a protein treatment today from what  I had left over from before and got some of my curls back.  I don’t wanna go through this again! :(

My main question is there any physical way that someone who when was healthy was averaging close to a 3 TSH can magically go to a TSH of 2.1 with a low T4 of 1.10 in a matter of a week without any medication


Thank you for reading and any help you can provide, just writing this helps get it out.

.

[Barb135]

How long has it been now, since you've taken any thyroid medication?  And exactly how long has it been since you've had any blood tests?  

Was the T4 test a Free T4 or just a T4?  They aren't the same test, but your result appears to be Free T4.  Do you know  what the reference range was for the 1.1 result you had?  Reference ranges vary from lab to lab so in order to compare properly, we need the range from your own report.  

Have you ever had a Free T3 test?  If so, what was the result with reference range?  If not, next time you get a blood test, make sure you insist on getting Free T3, as that's the hormone that's actually used by individual cells, whereas Free T4 is a storage hormone and has to be converted to Free T3 prior to being used.

In addition, have you had any adrenal tests done, such as cortisol?

[Shedding01]

I was off of all thyroid hormone for 61 days prior to trying synthroid 25 mcg.  Which I only took for 18 days since it was to strong.  Than I was off of that for 42 days (6 weeks) and did blood work at the endocrinologist.

Free t4  1.0 ng/dL1. (Normal is 0.8-1.8 ng/dL)

T3 total.  122  (Normal is 76-181 ng/dL)

TSH.  3.91 mIU/L3.  Range up to 4.5

Thyroid Peroxidase Ab (TPO)
<1 IU/mL4
(Normal is <9 IU/mL)

( these labs done around 10 am)
(Most of my labs done afternoon)


On day 51 I did labs through the care clinic at Florida hospital.  I had t4 free 1.10  (0.58-1.64)  ng/dl

TSH of my dreams without being on meds:

2.120   Range 0.4-4.5

( these labs done late in day closing time)

Now I’m on day 65 off of meds waiting for the 10 week  mark to maybe do Tsh, T4 free, and free T3.

I’ve only done free t3 twice so far.  Once while I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me by a great Obgyn but she doesn’t handle  these issues anymore.   It was on the lower end just like my T4 is but within range, lower 50%.

When I did it with her again after the medication it went down a point.  (3 months of being on levoxyl for the first time 25 mcg)

Which resolved all my issues and gave me thicker hair growth and stop the shedding.

The numbers are to old but I guess I will be doing it when I redo my labs in a bit.  

I did do a a.m. cortisol test a while back and it was on the higher end.

15.1 (cortisol am range 6.2-19.4)

This was two weeks  after being off Thyroid medication for the first time that I had stopped it and they also took my TSH which was at 7.080 and showed high 0.450-4.500 range

Free t4 1.11 range(0.82-1.77)

Did not  understand why they had me do the test so early I had to pre-doing the TSH for weeks and five days after getting off the medication and went back down to a 4

Sorry again for the sidetrack, I do believe this has to be a clerical error of some sort?

Thank you

[Red_Star]

Yes thyroid labs can fluctuate. There is quite a few reasons but includes the time of day tested (TSH is higher in the morning and lower in the afternoon) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

[Shedding01]

I always do my testing in the afternoon.  I completely understood a fluctuation from a 3.9 to a 3.1 but from a 3.9 which was actually the first time I had the test done before noon so I thought well that’s why is not at a 4.4 like it usually is. This test was done at closing time close to 5 p.m. first time in a hospital’s lab and 2.1 which I wasn’t there even before having issues with my thyroid for over 10 years no 2’s. Wow I wish.  But a low t4 of 1.10 doesn’t make the lope make sense either.  Both can’t be low???  While on thyroid medication I’ve been at a 2.6 and a 2.1, etc which I was told are fluctuations like you mentioned.  Is it worth putting myself more in debt to prove this lab wrong.  I’ve had a lab error before with something else.  I honestly can’t go back to the endocrinologist unless I get a nurses visit to see what the root cause of this is once a for all if there is one.  If she actually responds hasn’t yet and it’s driving me crazy.


I’m back in reverse where I was when I was clueless just getting repeating blood work every two months so they could see the subclinical hypothyroidism repeat for over a year.  While I’m here losing my curls and shedding hair like crazy and going back and forth between protein and moisturizing salon products.  This is exhausted and costly.

Tu for your response.  I was all ready to get those results and give the endocrinologist another week and just test the drug myself to see if it worsens my insomnia and was so shock by a 2.1 without taking thyroid medication.  

Now I lost help for my insomnia and free thyroid testing.

Don’t understand while I got out the protein treatment and applied it to my hair and thicker strands are just falling out and I’m holding in the tears because I’m overly emotional since getting off of thyroid medication.

And am literally and physically exhausted and just want to be and feel better already so I can stop being such a Debbie downer.  And have a life again.

[Red_Star]

My sister has Hashimoto's thyroiditis and had a test result - TSH 0.4 with free T4 at 12 (10 - 20). No medication. Typical hypo symptoms. Maybe try 25 mcg. My mum is on that dosage daily (her TSH never went above 4) and after a year her hair started to curl again (untreated Hashimoto's thyroiditis straightened her hair).

[Red_Star]

Sorry, I didn't finish my sentence lol. Maybe try 25 mcg every second day and see how you feel first.